If Google is forced to sell Chrome, you should be wary of the buyer

I’m a longtime MacBook user browsing the web primarily through Microsoft Edge. It might seem a very odd choice, considering that Apple has a great browser built into macOS, and Safari is even better for privacy than any alternative. Also, Edge is essentially a Chrome clone that Microsoft developed once it was clear its previous internet-exploring products would not be able to compete against the real thing.

Safari isn’t good for my needs, however. It just doesn’t “just work.” Google Chrome used to be a big resource hog and impact the Mac’s performance. That’s how I ended up using Microsoft Edge several years ago, and I’ve been a happy user ever since.

But I still care about who owns Google Chrome, especially now that Google risks having to sell the world’s most popular browser to settle its massive Google Search monopoly problem.

Selling Chrome is one of the DOJ’s proposed remedies to reduce Google’s search monopoly, which is giving Google nightmares. There’s no question that Chrome has been instrumental to Google’s Search success. Selling it might impact its revenue directly, as whoever ends up owning Chrome might use the browser’s massive market share to steer users toward other online search engines.

That’s no longer speculation. Google is facing the DOJ in court at the time of this writing, and we already have three companies that have expressed interest in purchasing Chrome. All of them are involved in internet search.

While I happen to think that Google being forced to sell Chrome would be a great win for consumers, I’m also very interested in who will own the company. Not because I’d return to Chrome once Google abandons it, but because the owner of the most-used internet browser in town will have a huge influence on what internet browsing looks like.

This week’s hearing in the DOJ vs. Google case revealed the names of three companies that would be interested in buying Chrome. These are OpenAI, Perplexity, and Yahoo. All of them are interested in internet search and/or operate search products.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search is already a tool I use frequently via ChatGPT. It’s very easy to set as the default search engine on internet browsers, even if you’re not paying for ChatGPT’s premium tiers. Having OpenAI run a browser and give it an AI-first focus is something we might see happen, whether that’s a future version of Chrome or something of OpenAI’s own making.

Perplexity is another AI-powered way to search the web for information. I’ve used it more during its early days, but I can’t say I’ve had reasons to return to it more recently. It sure looks like they want to do exactly what Google has been doing all these years, and track users everywhere for personalized ads.

As for Yahoo, well, sigh. Of all the companies eying Chrome, I hope it’s not Yahoo. Chrome needs a future, and I’m not sure Yahoo can deliver one.

I might not appreciate what Google has done with Search when it comes to user tracking and privacy, but Google makes good software products. That’s how they get you and your data. You get free tools like Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and Chrome, and then pay with your data.

And Google made sure it built the best possible internet browser it could, so many people ended up using it, and Google Search alongside it. Chrome became so good that it crushed rivals with incredible ease. Microsoft pivoting to create a Chromium-based Chrome clone is proof of that.

Google has continued upgrading Chrome, making it faster and more secure over the years. It also fixed its performance problems that made me leave it. I could always return to Chrome, but Edge is also very fast and reliable.

Microsoft and everyone else in the browser-making business still take their leads from Chrome. Google is in a position where it can still dictate terms when it comes to the state of internet browsing, and others will follow.

Yes, other internet browsing companies are trying to come up with novel ways to browse the web, but what Chrome brought to the table is good enough for me. I’m just using the Edge version of the Chrome standard.

That’s where I’m getting at. I’m practically using a version of Chrome without it being the real thing. I’m using a version of Chrome that works exactly like Chrome, including the vast array of extensions. Microsoft will continue to improve Edge, but it needs the real thing, Chrome, to apply pressure. 

Without a strong player like Chrome, I’m afraid Edge can’t be that good either. That’s why I care who ends up owning Google’s browser: That company will control internet browsing trends in the AI era, at least for a while.

Whoever ends up paying possibly tens of billions for Chrome will end up with a commanding market share they’ll want to keep and improve. They’ll want to leverage that user base and make money in the process with their own search products.

Most people will not abandon Chrome or Google Search overnight if the browser gets a new owner. But people will leave Chrome if the product fails to offer a reliable internet browsing experience.

The brighter Chrome’s future, the better my internet experience will be, even if I never return to using the browser Google invented.

That future could continue to be bright under Google; there’s no question about it. But I also think Google shouldn’t be in charge of Chrome any longer, given all of its practices that got a judge to say Google is running a Search monopoly.

It’s all Google’s fault here. It’s not just all the behaviors that led to the DOJ’s big win in this Search antitrust case.

Google had a big chance to score a massive win for Chrome in the past few years and redefine internet search and user privacy. It could have come up with a great way to eliminate third-party cookies, reduce user tracking, and improve privacy for all internet users choosing Chrome. That sort of tech might have impacted Google’s bottom line in the process, but everyone in the industry would have had to adapt and follow suit.

That could have been a revolutionary change that would have refrained the conversation and might have even improved its standing in the antitrust case. Google had no guts to do it, and that’s another reason for someone else to take over Chrome ownership.